Coca tea or Cappuccino – in Peru
May 1, 2009 by admin
When you fly in to a high altitude city like Quito or Cuzco, the first thing you should stock up on is the Coca tea. It has a vaguely herbal taste but the real reason you’re taking it is to ward off the effects of altitude sickness which could catch you unawares and spoil your holiday for a few days.
My friend Joanne didn’t initially notice any ill effects of altitude sickness on her recent visit to Peru. But when she was at Machu Picchu, some of her group started feeling quite ill with it. That was when their local guide whipped out some of the coca leaves and gave them to the group to chew on their walk up to the Inca city. Suddenly Joanne found that she had a spring in her step and the steep climb didn’t seem so daunting.
On the flight back to Lima, Joanne was waiting in the small airport and ordered a cappuccino from the small family cafe. Although it was served in the best china cup, what she got was some hot milk and a sachet of Nescafe. The ultimate in sophistication, I think you’ll agree! The lesson is – when in Rome, stick to the Cappuccino, but when in Peru, try the Coca tea.
This post is part of Photo Friday – check all the other Friday photos over at Delicious Baby.
You may also enjoy
Anyone for roast guinea pig? in Peru
Christmas dancers in Cusco in Peru
A grown-up backpacker at Machu Piccu
See all Joanne’s photos from Peru on Flickr
www.flickr.com
|
Don’t miss out – subscribe to Heather on her travels
Read more travel articles at Travel Blog Home
 |
jen laceda on Fri, 1st May 2009 9:57 am
Ahahahahhhh…I wouldn’t mind chewing those coca leaves!!!
Haha, as for the cappuccino, I’m in Paris right now and I will be sipping one of those in a few moments…
Peace (Australia) on Fri, 1st May 2009 12:21 pm
I think I’ll go with the tea!
Bridget Smith on Fri, 1st May 2009 3:47 pm
Nescafe is super big in Latin America. Always more fun to stick to the traditional drink. I couldn’t really get into Mate in Argentina though, very bitter and served way too hot!
Jessie Voigts on Fri, 1st May 2009 4:11 pm
what a hoot! thanks for sharing this. i think the tea looks mUCH better.
marina k. villatoro on Fri, 1st May 2009 4:12 pm
I drank a ton of coca tea when I was exploring Peru and Bolivia. The effects are incredible. I also remember visiting mines and small towns in high altitudes and the locals were constantly chewing on the leaves.
Plus, I got sick from something there and everyone kept on offering me coca tea. It’s like their miracle leave!
Photo Friday – Cano Island – The Truth Revealed
Nik on Fri, 1st May 2009 5:04 pm
Lol! That cappuccino was hilarious.. And yes the tea looks nice but I somehow feel chewing on the leaves would be a bit.. strong? hmm not sure..
amida on Fri, 1st May 2009 6:06 pm
Haha, too funny. Of course, if that had been me getting a cup of milk and powder, I’d be quite irked!
Linda on Fri, 1st May 2009 8:19 pm
I learned something new today. Thanks for the post!
Dominique on Fri, 1st May 2009 10:51 pm
I’ve also heard that ginger tea is good for motion sickness or indigestion. I found some ginger hard candies at the local coffeehouse that I got for Tim, trying to break him of his antacid tablets, and he says it seems to help a bit.
Debbie Dubrow on Fri, 1st May 2009 11:03 pm
Fascinating! Thanks for sharing
Carolina on Sat, 2nd May 2009 12:31 am
I learned the hard way that I should have had the coca tea. I took the “Tren de las Nubes” (no longer in operation, I think) in Argentina, and got super-sick from the altitude. They served the tea on the train. I thought to myself: Should’ve had it, while I sat in the med. car w/ my oxygen mask.
wandermom on Sat, 2nd May 2009 4:16 am
Oh my! You’ve brought back some fond memories for me with this post. Yes, we did use coca tea when we visited Peru (our older son was 2), but I have to say, I didn’t really appreciate any benefit.
Thanks for helping me remember when my grumpy pre-teen was a cuddly toddler
frank on Sat, 2nd May 2009 12:21 pm
Heather, nice article, just one small clarification, Lima is NOT a high altitude capital, it is a sea-level city (which makes it cold and humid in the loooong winters), of course other cities in Peru such as Cuzco and Puno are indeed at altitudes close to 4,000 meters high. And certainly coca tea, coca mate helps one deal with the altitude sickness.
Jim on Sat, 2nd May 2009 7:28 pm
Lima is not a high altitude destination!
Andres Guhl on Sat, 2nd May 2009 9:41 pm
Lima is at sea level!!! Quito is at high altitude, but Lima is not. Check your geography before writing!
admin on Sun, 3rd May 2009 3:04 pm
I think the vote is for the coca tea.
And I stand corrected on the altitude of Lima – I’ve taken that out now. I have been to Quito so I should know although I didn’t have any altitude problems myself. My friend Joanne has been to Lima and I should know that it’s at sea level as I’ve written about her time in Lima and the Park of Love overlooking the sea. I guess I got carried away at all those shots of the Machu Picchu.
At least some of you were paying attention!
laradunston on Mon, 4th May 2009 2:28 am
Oh yes, coca leaves was the first thing I bought when I went to Peru, gosh, almost 12 years ago I think. I spent a month there and easily got through the bag. I was in Cusco for a week before I did the 3-day trek to MP, so I didn’t suffer from altitude sickness, but I later got malaria from a jungle tour – despite taking medication and not finding a single mosquito bite on me.
The nescafe obsession across South America astounded me on that first visit too. The sachets on the saucer were customary everywhere except Buenos Aires and Brazil, the only places where they seemed to appreciate good coffee and it was possible to get a short espresso.
Eva & Jeremy Rees on Mon, 11th May 2009 2:33 pm
We just left Perú, and our coca tea, yesterday. Over the past few weeks we got quite used to it, and I have to say that I was looking forward to the light grassy flavor with my meals. We chewed the leaves during our 5 day trek to Machu Picchu, and found that it really helped to regulate our heartbeats during exercise at such high altitudes (we trekked through a pass at over 15,000 ft.!). The locals, including our guide, were chewing it non-stop, often with the quinoa ash alkalide substance which changes the flavors and strengthens the effect.
carl on Mon, 25th May 2009 1:42 am
Well, I must respectfully disagree with the author re: coca tea. I just returned from Cousco … upon my arrival I’d heard to drink the coca tea as it would help w/the altitude adjustment … by my third day I was taking oxygen from a local doctor who worked for a company that seemed to do a thriving business tending to altitude-sick tourists … the doc confirmed that I wasn’t eating fatty meats, didn’t smoke, had held off the alcohol — but said that upon arrival I should have one cup of coca tea and no more. The tea has lots of amphetamines and if your body is trying to adjust to the altitude too much of the tea doesn’t help. Now, when you go to Cousco you get the tea but it’s not served in large cups (maybe 4 oz cups) and I had no more than three cups in one day (along with drinking lots of other water) … Final point: I see a lot of these tours that have people fly into Cousco and the next day begin the rounds … and I realize that the altitude affects different people in different ways … but I would suggest to anyone who flies in to Cousco from sea level to give yourself two full days to acclimate (Yes, I’m sure there are lots of folks who hit the ground running … but there are lots who, like me, are in excellent shape but need some time) … and I would say to proceed cautiously with the coca tea.
Cappuccino Gifts on Mon, 6th Jul 2009 10:00 am
Great story, enjoyed the read
derek on Sat, 5th Sep 2009 2:19 pm
There are no amphetamines in coca tea! The stimulant effect comes from very minute amounts of cocaine.
Priyank on Mon, 5th Oct 2009 4:10 am
Hi Heather!
I loved cocoa tea too, it was offered free in most places I stayed. Being a source of cocaine, it is unfortunately unavailable here in Toronto…
Daniel Robinson on Mon, 2nd Nov 2009 4:43 pm
Peru is definitely a golden place, it has everything that makes you have an unforgettable vacations. I suggest to everybody to visit this beautiful country and if you go, I recommend hiring Kawsay, a travel agency that works responsible tourism and give you the opportunity to know Peru in a different way. Its website is http://www.perufairtravel.com/
Mark H on Mon, 8th Feb 2010 11:28 pm
I enjoyed the coca tea when I trekked the Inca Trail and walked around Cusco. It was free in the hotels though it was welcome in the small cafes around the villages. I’ve no idea if it helps with altitude but some feel uplifted by drinking it. Looks nicer than the cappucino anyway.
Edmund on Mon, 5th Jul 2010 8:14 pm
I’d have to agree–Coca Tea is amazing. It doesn’t have any huge sedative effect, like you’d expect from something that’s used to make cocaine. It’s extremely relaxing, though, and it does help with the altitude sickness (I had it in Cuzco/Machu Picchu, where it really helped out).
Another great thing to do with coca leaves is to just chew/suck them whole in the mouth–you can get packets from all around Peru.
Edmund´s last blog ..O’Fournier A Crux Malbec- Part II
A beach paradise at Cabo Polonia and Valizas in Uruguay | Heather on her travels on Thu, 29th Jul 2010 7:10 am
[...] South America Backpacking with Indie Travel Podcast – podcast Coca tea or Cappuccino – in Peru Warm baths and waterfalls at Baños – in [...]
CM on Tue, 31st Aug 2010 8:42 pm
coca tea does NOT have cocaine in it. cocaine does not exist naturally – it is produced by people USING the coca leaf. cocaine is super duper concentrated coca mixed with chemicals of some kind. coca is naturally a stimulant, which is why when you concentrate it during the process of making cocaine, you end up with a drug that is a huge upper in a way that is dangerous, as opposed to the slight stimulant found naturally in the leaf. just to clarify.
admin on Tue, 31st Aug 2010 9:36 pm
@ CM thanks for clarifying that – I’d hate to think I had to take hard drugs just to ward of altitude sickness